The fiery brass that introduces "Down by the Riverside," the first track off The Dynamic Duo, ain’t just the bristling result of a spanking-good big band chart. It’s a fanfare preparing us for the two regal musicians that will soon follow. The album pairs organist Jimmy Smith and guitarist Wes Montgomery, two humongous jazz talents that still elicit broad smiles and head nods when you mention them to jazz aficionados. By 1966 both Smith and Montgomery were firmly ensconced in the pantheon of true innovators. Smith brought the Hammond B3 out of the church and into the bebop age, while Montgomery was known for his pick-free technique and even-keel solo virtuosity. Put them together with killer drummer Grady Tate and a full horn section arranged by Oliver Nelson, and you’ve got the makings of a jazz date for the ages.

There’s a lascivious swing to "Night Train," played up by raunchy Vegas horns and Tate’s ambling shuffle and casual bomb-drops. Montgomery sexes up the proceedings with a cool-as-they-come guitar solo, full of laid-back single-note lines and some insistent strums in his trademark octaves. In contrast, Smith’s night train is more than ready to leave the station; he’s more direct in his advances, stabbing and tickling the organ keys in frantic flurries. The two make excellent wingmen on "James and Wes," trading off showy licks in their opposing icy-smooth and spiky-hot styles—though by the song’s end they’re both on fire.

A different kind of seduction is at work on "13 (Death March)." Distant flute plays a questioning melody; darkened hues emanate from the horns’ dissonant chord bleatings, and the throbbing drum and conga beat hints at an exotic ritual. Smith and Montgomery are our shamanic leaders, the former babbling sensual chants to stoke the flames, the latter whispering softly to keep the embers glowing bright. These two jazz masters have the yin/yang duality down pat. They’re polar opposites in terms of style and vibe, but on The Dynamic Duo, they’re both working the same magic.